Exodus 8:6-7 (ESV) — So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

We are not living in a world of flesh and blood alone. The Scriptures teach that the material world is not all that exists. Matter and molecules are not the only real things that exist in our universe. We live in a world that also includes spiritual realities. There are angels, and there are demons. God exists, but so does Satan. Now, to be clear, Satan is no equal power to God. In fact, Satan is a created being just like humans are. But it is important to understand that the things we experience in this world are not simply natural phenomena. There are unseen spiritual realities that impact the things we experience every day. And not all of these unseen forces are good.

In our passage today, we get a glimpse of this. It is not explicitly pointed out, but it is implied in what we read. In Exodus 8, we see Moses and Aaron in Egypt on a mission from God to set the Israelites free from captivity and oppression. As they perform signs and wonders, Pharaoh is not immediately moved to free them. In fact, he has his own people who perform supernatural deeds. We read, “So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.”

We know that Aaron and Moses are doing the things they are doing by the power of God. It is not by their own ability or skill that they cause frogs to cover the land. They are conduits for God’s power. But we also read that the magicians did the same. It says they did this “by their secret arts.” These magicians neither have the power nor the ability through natural skill, nor is God the source of their power. So where does it come from? It comes from forces of darkness and evil in the world. It is occultic in nature.

This helps us to understand that in this world there is real darkness. Satanic power is underneath many of the things we see and hear today. We need spiritual wisdom and discernment to spot these things. We are reminded by this text of our need for God’s protection and help in our lives. Lord, deliver us from the evil one.

Reflection & Journal:

- Why is it important to recognize the reality of spiritual forces of darkness around us?

- How do we see occultic powers in action today?

- How should Christians live in light of these realities? How should they shape our prayer lives?